Mercedes had a similar controversy in 2020 when Racing Point was using the Silver Arrows’ wind tunnel and produced a similar car to Mercedes’ 2019 vehicle before they were found guilty of breaching IP rules.
Horner has claimed that no such rules are being broken by Red Bull and AlphaTauri. “We’re an awfully long way from a ‘Pink Mercedes’,” he said. “There are some transferable components that are clearly listed within the regulations that you’re allowed to supply and that’s what they get.
“When you look at the car, there are quite fundamental differences between that car and a Red Bull Racing car. And arguably, there are other cars on the grid which are far closer in concept than an AlphaTauri is. You’ve only got to look at an Aston Martin or even a McLaren. If you look around the rear suspension of a McLaren, it’s very close in concept to that of our own.”
